


Crowns and Black Magic

by sir_writesalot



Category: Super 4 (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, M/M, banquet, black magic, siege
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27816922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sir_writesalot/pseuds/sir_writesalot
Summary: Everything the Black Baron does to become King never works out, and it always seems to be Rypan's fault.Of course, that doesn't stop Rypan from trying to help, even when something else seems bent on taking over.Currently on hiatus!
Relationships: Black Baron/Rypan, Sir Gareth/Sir Archibald
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Alex’s sword was struck down against the Baron’s, pushing the man in black backwards slightly as he struggled to remain in place. The prince pulled his sword back and swung again, the Baron quickly blocking it once more, his shoe’s heel now digging deep into the dirt.

“Give up Baron, you’re not going to win.” The teen spoke through gritted teeth.

The Baron pulled back and turned on his heel, letting the Prince stumble forward, before he kicked him away,  
“Don’t be so sure, whelp.” He grinned, swinging his sword.

Over on the other side of the court, the Baron’s knights were having their own duels with the King’s. Originally, their plan was to try to take the throne while they were all distracted preparing for the banquet that they were having today, but once the Super 4 arrived it went downhill pretty quickly for them.

The teens spared no time bringing the dark knights to their knees. One by one their weapons were knocked out of their hands and they were surrounded by the other knights, making sure that they weren’t going to attack again.

Rypan, as a part of that helpless group, watched as their numbers narrowed down until the Baron was the only one remaining. He knew his lord wasn’t going to give up and he desperately wanted to help him, but he couldn’t do anything from his position without the risk of the knight's attacking him again. He had tried to get to him, but now he had a large bruise on his cheek from when they had knocked him down. Without a weapon, the King’s knights had the advantage.

Clattering to the ground, the Baron’s sword was thrown out of his hand by Alex’s sword. His eyes widened as the sharp blade was brought up to his neck.

“Stand down Baron.” Alex glared at him.

He sighed, lifting his hands up,  
“Alright, alright… You win.” He spoke defeatedly. Even though he knew his chances of winning against the Prince were slim, he didn’t want to give up. It pained him greatly whenever someone was able to defeat him in a duel, he was supposed to be the best yet he was somehow proven otherwise.

There was a cheer from the knights in gold and blue, knowing that they could go on with the banquet they had planned for today without any other interruptions. The Baron grumbled under his breath, his bangs falling over his eyes as he lowered his gaze to the ground.

The King came out from the castle, hobbling up to his son, Alex,  
“Alexander, you saved us once more.” He shared a warm smile, “Please, stay for the banquet.” He placed a hand upon Alex’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry father, but we really should be heading off now, believe me, I would stay if I could. Did you need help putting the Baron and his knights in the dungeon before we go?”

“Oh, no need, I don’t think they need to go to the dungeon…” The old man glanced over at the dark knights, who were looking away from their lord in humiliation, aside from the large one, Rypan. That knight just stared blankly at the Baron with glazed over eyes as if he was deep in thought. Then again, he didn’t really seem like a guy to think so maybe he was just feeling helpless.

“But father, you can’t just let them go free. They’ll just keep on attacking the castle.” Alex said, knowing the Baron far too well.

“Well…” King Kendric paused, “Perhaps the Baron could spend some time there… But his knights are just following orders, they don’t deserve to be thrown in as well.”

Alex sighed. He supposed it was better than letting them all go, but he couldn’t help but think how trusting his father was. Too trusting.  
“Alright, if that’s what you want father.”

The two then bid their farewells as the King stated that he could handle the Baron and the teens left.

“Why don’t you join us at the banquet? I’m sure there’s enough seats for all of you.” The King smiled over at the black and red knights as the Baron began to be dragged away, who shared uncertain looks amongst each other.

Rypan, who stood quietly the whole time, noticed the Baron glance at him with a look he knew very well.

“We accept.” He simply said, interrupting the knights who had begun to decline. Now his mission was simple.

Sabotage the banquet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter just to begin.
> 
> Comments are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Archibald nervously shrunk back into his seat, not at all enjoying the way Rypan stared at him from the other side of the table. He didn't even move much. The man just sat there and proceeded to glare daggers into the poor little man's soul with those piercing gray eyes of his.

How he wished that Gareth were here. The knight would have easily been able to tell he was uncomfortable and yell at Rypan to knock it off. But alas, said man was still on a mission of some sort. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, Gareth had only told him he would be gone for a day but he would return soon enough.

In fact, that's partially why the banquet was being held. To celebrate his return. The other reason was because it was the end of the fortnight and they always had a feast then, it was like a tradition.

"Aren't you going to, uh, eat?" A short knight at Rypan's side questioned, looking up at him while stuffing several pies into his mouth. His helmet wasn't on his head anymore and was instead resting on the floor looking as if it had been thrown.

The large knight's eyes narrowed, not shifting his gaze. Of course his fellow knights believed that they were only here to eat. He knew he wasn't exactly the smartest, but he definitely knew more than to just drop their guard, especially with their Baron in the dungeon.

They were all still technically on duty and they mightn't have known about it, but the Baron clearly didn't want this banquet to last. If he got too drunk, he doubted that he would be able to duel without harming himself. You had to be very coordinated, else any misstep could easily be your downfall.

And there was always the option that this whole thing was a trap. Maybe the King was lowering them to a sense of false security. Maybe their portion of the food was poisoned. Maybe the King secretly hated them.

Very well, he would play along with the King, but first he couldn't help enjoy how fast the redhead across from him got scared. It was actually really amusing.

He leaned forward, ignoring the knight beside him who had asked the question and raised an eyebrow at him,  
"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's impolite to stare?" He questioned, fully aware that he was the one staring instead but knew that the man wouldn't be able to reply.

Archibald shrunk his head back into his shoulders, taking one look at the large scar across Rypan's eye, before he proceeded to faint, tumbling backwards off of his chair.

A small grin formed across Rypan's face but he managed to quickly suppress it as other knights looked at Archibald and wondered what happened. It took a minute of arguing about who was 'taking him back to his chambers this time' before one stood up and picked him up as well, leaving the room.

It was only then when Rypan took his first bite, a large chunk of his leg of lamb, feeling slightly more secure. He almost let it show on his face, but it actually tasted delicious. He wasn't sure if it was the change in spices used or if they cooked it differently but it made his mouth melt and he found himself devouring the whole thing pretty quickly.

He wasn't starved, but it wasn't exactly every day he got such a luxurious meal. Even the beer and wine looked inviting now. But he fought off the feeling as soon as someone called his name.

"Enjoying the meal, Rypan?" The knight beside him said snarkily, seeing as he was now eating.

"May I remind you that while you're sitting here and stuffing yourself, our Lord awaits in the dungeon?" He grumbled under his breath to his idiotic comrade, making sure no one else could hear. Oh how he desperately wanted to pull his sword out right now and show this knight how disrespectful he was being.

The man just snorted it return,  
"I'm sure it's fine. I'm sure he's not being hurt, so a couple hours for ourselves won't do any harm."

Rypan glared at him before noting that there was nothing he could do without causing a scene and that would decrease their chances of being able to get the Baron out quicker.

His ears suddenly picked up on two voices that seemed to be having a secretive conversation. He made sure not to look as he listened in so they wouldn't stop.

"You ask him." The hushed whisper spoke.

"Me? Why not you?" It seemed annoyed.

"Because you're braver than me!" The first voice hissed.

"That's not gonna matter when he attacks us, is it?"

"Oh great, he's gonna attack us?"

"I dunno! That's why you should ask! I'm not gonna risk myself!"

"Gee, what a friend you are… He's probably not even gonna tell us…" There was a pause before the knight cleared his throat, "Um, e-excuse me… Sir Rypan?"

Rypan looked over to them with his chipped eyebrow raised. He noticed the way they tensed and their mouths were dry. So he was just dealing with a pair of scaredy knights, he could see that they were clearly not drunk and feeling as if they were better than everyone else. Just the way he liked it.

"What?" He gruffed.

“W-Well we were wondering… How'd you get that scar? Y'know, the one over your eye?"

"Yeah, can you see with it? Or are you blind in that eye?"

There was a pause as Rypan stared at the two. They seriously thought he would lay out everything just because he was sitting at the same table at them for once?  
"And why should I tell you?"

"See, I told you he wouldn't tell us."

There was a moment of silence before the other knight spoke up again,  
"Why do you work for the Baron anyways?"

"Yeah, isn't he an idiot or something? Aren't you tired of being treated badly?"

Rypan's eyes narrowed slightly,  
"Watch your tongue…" He murmured, trying not to get too worked up.

The knights continued, not seeming to have heard him,  
"I wouldn't work for him even if he offered a mountain of gold."

"-Which he never would because he's a jerk. A greedy jerk." He added.

"You think the Black Baron's the one that made that scar across his eye?"

"Probably. He must've lost his temper at one point."

"I would expect that from him. Why anyone would want to stay near him is a wonder.”

“That is enough!” Rypan slammed his hands down on the table, making everyone stop and look at him. He picked up a knife that was resting on a plate and strode over to the King, pulling it up against his throat.

All the knights gasped, many quickly getting to their feet.

“I order you to release the Baron.” He hissed, glaring at any man that dared to take another step forward. He was sick and tired of those two speaking rubbish about his lord. The knife should have been held to their throats instead, but he knew that wouldn’t do anything. Besides, this wasn’t exactly how he had planned the sabotage to go, but a knife to a royal figure’s throat seemed dramatic and effective enough.

The King, secretly feeling a finger in between the blade and his throat, simply sighed,  
“Go and fetch the Baron.”

He knew Rypan wouldn’t actually harm him, otherwise he wouldn’t be protecting his throat from the knife. Unsure if it was because his dead self would be of no use to the Baron or if Rypan actually didn’t want to hurt the King, he decided to not think about it and let the Baron go free.

He was bound to be released sooner or later. Everyone knew he didn’t mind the Baron, all his attempts to get the throne were quite amusing. Even Rypan seemed to know it wasn’t all that serious. Even the other knights seemed to relax when they weren’t fighting. Of course, no one would show it.

* * *

The Baron huffed, watching as two knights came down to the dungeons to escort him out. It was about time, what took Rypan so long? If he was honest, he had expected the man to come down himself and state that he was now the king. He had imagined his delicate hand gently slipping into the other’s larger one, the two of them exchanging warm smiles as they escalated the spiraling staircase. A delicate laugh leaving his lips as he felt Rypan lifting him up with those strong arms of his and they spun around, at long last treasuring victory and peace.

Shaking himself out of his fantasy, he instead found himself promptly yelling at the guards to not touch him. Disrespectful peasants, didn’t they understand that he wasn’t to be touched?

He was taken up where Rypan stood with a knife to the King’s throat while everyone else stood aimlessly around and he didn’t know who to be madder at. They all left the castle, boots trudging along the dirt path.

They didn’t have to go far to know that they were all in for it. The Baron was going to make it crystal clear that he was outraged with everything that had happened. Outraged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is how long I'll try to make chapters. If you feel as if they're too short please tell me!
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

“You idiots! You stupid clod-brains! Do you have any idea how foolish you all are?" He screamed at them, "You could have kept the King as a prisoner! I could have been king by now if it weren't for you!" He quickly managed to focus all his anger on Rypan like he usually did, pointing directly at the knight.

The other knights were lucky. If Rypan was involved in something that displeased the Baron, usually he got most of the blame so they were safe at the most part. The Baron felt as if Rypan had a duty to lead the other knights or at least do better than them. He didn't know what he expected from a man with very little brain power, but it was certainly more than getting him thrown into the dungeons for a good couple of hours.

"Do you understand?! Next time something like this happens, I want you to  _ think! _ Of course, that’s impossible for you, isn’t it?” He growled.

Rypan gave yet another nod, "Forgive me, my lord."

The Baron just grumbled under his breath, arms crossed. He had more pent up rage that he needed to release, but after half an hour of screaming at Rypan, he was beginning to feel tired. That, and he could see Rypan's self esteem and pride were taking a heavy blow.

Of course he would never reveal that he slightly cared about Rypan. He would never admit that he could spend all day just watching him. He would never  _ dare _ say just how much his half-witted self made him smile and chuckle.

Because he was just a knight. A knight that worked for him who he had absolutely no feelings for, because that would go against many codes.

When they eventually reached the castle, the Baron turned once more to face the knights,

"Since you're all clearly lacking in swordsmanship, I order you all to train until you collapse from exhaustion, is that understood?”

He didn’t even wait for an answer as he stormed off.

As he strode to his room, he didn’t stop to talk with anyone else and slammed the wooden door shut, the loud boom echoing through the hallway. He stopped behind it and leaned forward, resting his hands on the door. Exhaling, he took a moment of his time to relax, reminding himself that there was no need to get angry in his room where there was nobody but himself. It was the perfect place to calm down.

“Exhausted, my lord?” A voice piped up behind him.

The Baron’s eyes opened and he raised an eyebrow,

“Fourchesac, what have I told you about appearing in my room?”

A sigh,

“Yes, yes, I know. You respect your privacy. But I know you. Just try and tell me that you don’t want to talk.”

There was a pause before the Baron whipped around and before he knew what was happening, he found himself ranting about Rypan.

It began with him explaining how angry he was that he couldn’t be king, how Rypan couldn’t seem to do anything. Then it led to how he could see that he was trying but it wasn’t enough. Then he appreciated the man was trying. He was sweet. No, he was more than sweet. 

He sat down on the edge of his bed.

Every part of Rypan just got him so excited and-

“You like him?”

Shoot.

“No! What sort of stupid question is that?!” He yelled, fighting the cherry colour that was trying to crawl onto his face.

“Sire…” His voice trailed off, not exactly sure what to say. To say he disliked the knight was an understatement. He was so overprotective of the Baron and couldn’t trust him at all. It was as if the man thought he would poison him or something. But that would be stupid, why would he kill the source of his food, gold and his home? If he wanted the Baron dead, there would be nothing Rypan could’ve done because he would’ve already been dead.

“Are you sure you don’t like him?” Was all the sorcerer could say. He could see right through the Baron’s lies. Besides, he just wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a one time thing that he had made up in his head so he could relieve his stress. Either that or the fairy finally managed to hit him with a spell and it messed his head up. Who would like that man anyways? He was so dumb, his intelligence almost matched up with that of a troll’s.

He was only treated with silence as the Baron ran his fingers through his hair, deep in thought. There was a chance that the wizard would rat him out to the knight. Then again, he knew that Fourchesac wasn’t exactly the best of friends with Rypan and figured he wouldn’t want to talk to him or tell him any of this. And if he threatened him, maybe that would guarantee his silence on the topic.

“You had better not tell him, Fourchesac, or I swear the only person you’ll ever again is when Rypan tortures you in the dungeons, is that understood.”

A sly grin spread across the wizard’s face as he bowed,

“Yes… Of course sire.” He knew how to read the Baron like the back of his hand. It was too easy, “But may I ask what you plan on doing with him?”

“‘Doing with him’?” The man echoed.

“Yes, he was the reason your plan failed, wasn’t he…?” Of course, if the chance came up, Fourchesac wouldn’t refuse to watch as the Baron yelled at Rypan. It was something about how Rypan looked that made him so amused. It was as if he was trying to hide his humiliation in front of all the other knights, but failing miserably. 

“But what punishment would work?” The Baron pondered, taking this moment to thoughtfully rub his chin.

“Only whatever you think is necessary.” He said, trying to seem as if he was only listening to the Baron, not guiding him towards the answer he wanted.

* * *

“But my lord-”

“No complaints! I don’t want to hear a word from you for two days! Now, in you go!”

Rypan sighed and trudged into the cell, hearing the metal barred door close behind him. The dungeon? Sure, he expected a punishment, but throwing him inside a cell for two days was definitely not what he had in mind. He could only imagine that it was Fourchesac who led the Baron to do this. That wizard was so manipulative and the Baron just followed his wishes without even realising it, thinking it was he himself who had come up with the idea.

“You had me locked up in a dungeon of a couple of hours because of your poor skill, let’s see how you like a couple of  _ days _ .”

“What am I supposed to do for two days? Wouldn’t you prefer to see me train?”

“Ohhh , you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” The Baron’s brows furrowed.

Rypan gave a confused look. What in the world did that mean? He watched as the Baron left and sat down with a huff on the small bench. Eyes trailing around his cell, he tried to find something he could do to entertain himself. Stone wall, bars, stone wall, stone wall, stone wall… There was nothing.

“Curse you Forchesac. Curse you.” He muttered under his breath.


	4. Chapter 4

The Baron had to admit it was quite boring without Rypan around. It was silent for starters, but every time he peered out of his window to the knights in the yard, it was kind of a disappointment not to see Rypan there. He was usually out three times a day.

The man had a tight schedule. Getting up in the early morning when everyone else was asleep, he practiced on one of the dummies out in the yard. Then he went to guard the Baron as he woke up and got ready for the day, and followed him to breakfast. He went outside again and either dueled a couple of knights or trained a couple of new ones.

He then came in and guarded the Baron past lunch and into the late evening, where he either just stood with him or helped him out with plans or tactics. He mightn’t have been the smartest, but he knew just what he was talking about when they talked about strategies. The Baron enjoyed watching him talk about something he was clearly skilled at, he was precise, knowing exactly what he wanted to do or what he thought was best.

Then he went out in the late evening to look after his horse in the stables, a big, beautiful, brown and white Clydesdale with a black mane. He cared fondly for it, with a sort of gentleness he had never really seen before. If anything befell upon that horse, he would probably be heartbroken.

Honestly? He felt slightly jealous. But every time he thought of it, he groaned and insulted himself for being such an idiot. Being jealous of a horse, what sort of rubbish was that?

He opened a drawer on the side of his desk and pulled out a bottle of wine. He was tired of the paperwork that was piled in front of him already, and what better way to get rid of feverish dreams of a man then drowning your hopes with alcohol?

He was just about to pop open the bottle and help himself when there was a knock at his door. Pausing, he exchanged glances from the wine to the door before sighing,

“Enter.”

A small knight entered, in fact, the same one Rypan had been talking to at the feast last night. He noted the bottle the Baron was holding in his hand and felt slightly more anxious, knowing that he was definitely disturbing him,

“Erm, my lord, the knights out in the yard are unsure what to do.”

“So have them do whatever they usually do.” The Baron huffed, wondering why this was so difficult for him.

“Well you see, we usually follow Rypan’s orders…”

“Then do the same thing you did last time.” His eyebrow twitched as he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

“But each time is supposed to be different.”

“Then do something completely different you cretin! It’s not that difficult to do!” The Baron shot up, slamming his hands on the table.

The knight took a nervous step back before he gave a short bow,

“Y-Yes my lord.” Then he quickly rushed out of the room.

The Baron watched and grumbled under his breath, plopping back down in his seat. He didn’t understand these people. Why couldn’t they just think? Perhaps Rypan was pretty important, but it wasn’t good for them to be completely dependent on him. If Rypan was ever gone, like this instance, he didn’t want them to be lost.

The cork popped off and he poured a bit into his goblet. Then a little more. A tiny bit more. And before he knew it, the whole bottle was empty. No sense in letting good wine go to waste.

* * *

Another knock at the door made the Baron lift his head up from the paper he was staring at,

“What now?” He called out.

The door opened and Rypan peeked out from behind it.

“Rypan?” His eyebrows raised before folding into a frown, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the dungeons.”

“I couldn’t stay there my lord.” He entered, closing the door behind him.

“… And why not…?” He asked, very suspicious of his behaviour.

“Because,” The man moved up to the desk and leant forward, “It pained me greatly to be away from you.”

There was a pause, the Baron just staring at him before laughing,

“Nice try Rypan. It’s not very funny. Now please, return to your cell.”

Rypan smirked and held a hand out, trailing a finger down the Baron’s chest,

“C’mon… Don't you want to have some fun…?”

The Baron’s face turned bright red,

“R-Rypan…”

The knight leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

The Baron leapt forward with a gasp, coated with a thick layer of sweat. It was silent, the only noise in the room was his shallow breathing. Just a dream. He had fallen asleep. 

Did he really just have one of those dreams? He was so embarrassed that he almost never wanted to show his face again. And with Rypan nonetheless. His dumb, ordinary, right hand man- who he just couldn’t seem to get enough of.

He groaned and rested his head on the table, wincing slightly at the unexpected pain he felt on his forehead. Pulling a hand up to it, he realised it was a bruise, then realised he had not fallen asleep, but managed to get so drunk that he probably hit his head and knocked himself out. How long had he been out? Why had no one come to get him?

His cheeks puffed up and his eyes widened as he launched for the bin, hurling into it. The worst part of being drunk; the hangover.

After he had disposed of what little had sat in his stomach before, he carefully got to his feet and decided to go around the castle and ask why no one had collected him for lunch.

The first sign he should’ve taken into place was the lack of guards standing in the hallways. He shook it off, thinking they were eating without him. He’d be sure to yell at them all later. But they weren’t there either… Maybe they were out in the yard, training. Nothing. No one.

He was alone in the castle.

But why was he alone, where did everyone disappear to?

There was a flicker of lights behind him that made him whip around. Movement. Maybe he wasn’t alone. His hand inched towards the hilt of his sword, glancing around for whatever it was, but there was no one there.

“If this is a joke, it’s not very amusing.” He spoke sternly, a hint of anger in his voice as he tried not to show his worry.

He felt a warm breath on his neck and he quickly turned around again. This time he was face to face with  _ it _ . A flickering pitch black knight, a shadow in the form of a human- or maybe it was a knight who was fully engulfed in a shadow. The only difference in colour was its piercing white eyes.

A small gasp escaped the Baron as it reached an arm out and lifted him by his neck, his feet lifting off the floor. A white glowing orb slowly flew out from his mouth as his colours slowly drained away.


	5. Chapter 5

Rypan sighed, leaning against the bars expectantly. Sure the knights were lazy, but the guard was running way too far behind on his hourly check and he was wondering why. Maybe they were having a party up there and completely forgot about him.

He glanced over at the door, wondering if he should leave, just to check on them. Of course, he’d return as soon as possible, but just to be sure that everything was fine…

Checking the lock, he found it was shut. Oh well, nothing he couldn’t handle. He knelt down and pulled a dagger out of his greave, using that to pick the lock. There was a click and he swung the door open, wondering why the knights hadn’t confiscated his dagger as well as his sword. Maybe they knew and they wanted him to have it just in case, or they didn’t know and they couldn’t be bothered to search him because really, what harm would he do against his own group?

He picked up his sword that was resting alongside the wall near the doorway that doubled as an entrance and an exit and slid it into his sheath, beginning to make his way up the stairs.

“Hello?” He called out, “You know, you guys a little late, I don’t suppose you’ve all forgotten about me already?” He spoke, slightly amused but a little annoyed.

Still getting no response, he sighed, taking his time. Eventually reaching the top of the staircase, he glanced around, then proceeded to look around for everyone, finding there was no one. No one was in the castle.

“Don’t tell me they went to attack the King’s castle without me…” He rolled his eyes. They could have at least informed him of that. It was a little strange that the Baron decided to go without his best knight, but whatever, maybe he had a plan. They probably needed him now.

So off he went to the stables to retrieve his stallion, carefully mounting it. Noting that there were still other horses in the stables, he realised it was a stealth mission. Oh well, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong and that he needed to help. And besides, being sneaky and secretive wasn’t really his style, he was sure to mess up somehow.

He lashed the reins and the horse rushed out of the open drawbridge, hooves thundering as they hit the ground. It was a particularly peaceful day. The sky was bright and blue, the forest around him was the same natural green colour and the birds sang happily, not a single dragon or troll in sight. All the better to reach his lord faster. The unnerving feeling grew stronger as he neared the castle. It seemed all too silent for his liking and all the guards who stood around seemed unbothered as if they weren’t expecting an attack, nor had been attacked. Maybe he was too early.

The knights standing on the wall started shouting when they saw him, rushing around. He just scoffed. These losers really thought he was a threat? Where was everyone else anyways?

“What do you want?” Sir Sebastian strolled up to the gate. He had black hair and a moustache resting upon his upper lip, sporting the King's armour and crest.

“Only to find the Baron.” He said, squinting at the smaller man, “He wasn't thrown into the dungeons again, was he?”

“In the dungeons?” He gave a hearty laugh, “I haven’t seen that coward since the feast yesterday.”

Rypan scowled, not liking the man’s choice of words, but continuing regardless,

“Alright then… Take me to the King, I wish to have a word with him.”

“Well the King’s busy now.”

“Doing what? Sleeping on his throne?” He stared blankly at him, not backing down.

There was a silence before Sir Sebastian turned his head to the side and the gate was raised once he gave a nod,

"Any funny business and  _ you'll _ be the one spending your nights down there, is that understood?"

Rypan led his large stallion forward, glancing down at the knight from the corner of his eye without saying a word. He towered over the knight with his massive steed and his own large body frame and could notice that slight hint of nervousness in the knight's eyes. He was here on important accounts, not to make friends, an intimidating look was exactly what he wanted.

Carefully dismounting the horse when he had neared the stone stairs of the castle, Rypan spoke up again,

"If anything were to happen to him… Well, I'm sure you don't want to find out what'll happen, do you?" He said snidely, carefully stroking the stallion's neck.

He saw the scared redheaded man, - what's his name - Sir Archibald, watching from a slight distance and figured he would be looking after his horse. Normally he was with that idiotic Sir Gareth all of the time, following him around like a puppy. Where was he anyways? Probably guarding the King, he assumed.

Rypan felt slightly reassured that the scribe would be looking after his steed. The man was the only person who was half-decent here. Sure, he was afraid of everything, even his own shadow, but he wasn't one to randomly attack like the other knights did. Better to have him looking after his horse than the other knights, at least.

He walked up the stairs, ignoring the looks he got as he entered the hall. Down at the other end sat the King on his throne, Sir Ulf and another knight guarding beside him. No Gareth. Huh.

The old man sat up attentively, not showing the fact that he was slightly pleased that there was finally some action happening this day. The other knights weren't as excited though.

Rypan was immediately greeted by a metal fist and a sword to his throat. His hand impulsively hovered back over the hilt of his sword, but he didn't unsheath it, understanding that they were only protecting their King.

"I come here without any ill accounts." He said, looking up at the King.

There was a small pause as the King told them to stand down and they took a step back, lowering their weapons.

Rypan moved up to the foot of the short steps leading up to the throne,

"Your majesty…" He paused for a moment, "I came to ask… To ask for your aid." He lowered his head at the words.

Yes. He was asking the King for help. He didn't know what else to do, everyone in his castle was gone, and they weren't here either. They left without telling him. Even with his small intellect, he knew something was up, but he didn't know what. His only hope was to ask for help.

Most people looked taken aback. A dark knight, especially Rypan, asking for help?

"Whatever's the matter?" The King asked, both curious and concerned.

"… Everyone's gone missing. I'm not sure where they are. I thought they'd be here, but they're not… They're just gone." Rypan said blankly.

That's when the faint murmuring picked up. People began whispering amongst each other, wondering what had happened to them and what this meant now. All the while Rypan remained silent, lost without his master.

"I'll send out a search party, perhaps we'll find them somewhere." The King said, rather perturbed. What could have happened, what could have been so bad, that hundreds of people had gone missing? The thought that Rypan was lying to lead them into a trap came up but he quickly dismissed it. The knight seemed too empty and despaired for this to be a lie. It was very obvious that he needed to find his lord.

Rypan was about to speak up when a shiver ran down his spine. He was quick to dismiss, but he saw everyone else react the same way and furrowed his brows. That was unusual, definitely not normal. Then people began gasping and pointing out something. He glanced behind his shoulder and saw a shadow man walking through the large wooden double doors. It was black and had the darkness emitting from it, its white eyes glowing brightly.

It looked… Oddly familiar, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous. It was as if the flickering pitch black creature was filling the room with that feeling. People dashed out of the way as it walked directly towards the King, afraid of it. It brought a sense of fear along with its dark presence, no one was even thinking, they all just wanted to get away.

That was until one knight snapped to his senses and held his sword out towards the creature,

“What do you want?” He asked, still slightly scared.

It was silent before it reached its arm out and lifted the poor knight up by his neck. The man gasped and everyone watched in shock as the creature seemed to beckon a white glowing orb out of his mouth. As soon as it left his body, he went slightly limp and his colours seemed to become very desaturated. The white orb was absorbed by it and it dropped the seemingly lifeless man on the ground.

“G-Guards!” The King called out in fear as it began to approach him.

That’s when Archibald ran up the stairs and stood at the doors of the hall. He stared at the creature with wide eyes, almost at the verge of tears,

“G-Gareth!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying out different ways of formatting. Sorry if it seems inconsistent!

“Are you sure Gene?” Alex questioned, standing behind the teen’s chair.

He nodded, looking over the blue screens in front of him,

“There’s definitely a mass of unusual energy all over Kingsland. It’s spread across the castles. But… It doesn’t make any sense, what could be making this?”

“It’s magic.” Twinkle spoke up.

“Twinkle-”

“No, she has a point. What else could do this?” Alex studied the screens, looking over the black splotches that were on the bird’s eye view of the kingdom. It seemed to spread around where there were masses of people; namely the King and the Baron’s castles.

“So what’re we waiting for? Let’s see what’s going on!” Ruby said, glancing at the two of them.

“Hold on.” Gene said, lowering the screens and beginning to drive the Chameleon forward. The medieval island soon came into view from where they were, hovering over the water and they quickly approached the land.

As they passed onto the ground, Gene reverted the vehicle back to land mode and drove forward. They watched as the trees began to thicken and compact, quickly creating the dense forest that towered over the path they were passing on. Normally it was bright, but something just felt… Off. The others noticed it slightly, but it was Twinkle that informed them that there was definitely something wrong.

“I can feel it… It’s dark magic…” She almost spoke in a whisper, as if she was afraid that just saying it out loud would do something bad to them.

Gene opened his mouth to say something but closed it. Normally he’d be quick to say that something like that would be ridiculous but there was just that odd feeling that gnawed at him - at all of them - that made him not want to say anything.

So they all rode in silence until they reached the King’s castle. It didn’t take too long for Twinkle to finally break down, not being able to handle the sadness anymore. It just made her so upset. All the colours were just dull and desaturated, as if something had stolen all the life. There was no one about, the only movement was the slight wind blowing the gray banners, but it just added to the eerie, empty feeling.

“You two go ahead. I’ll try and calm Twinkle down.” Alex spoke, looking at Gene and Ruby.

They nodded and exited the Chameleon, looking around. What could have happened here? They carefully entered the castle, trying to be quiet just in case whatever did this was still around.

“Holy shrimps…” Ruby mumbled under her breath, “This place is a mess…”

“Yes, it would appear there was a struggle here…” Gene knelt down next to a purple mark on the ground, scanning it to try and figure out what it was.

Ruby abruptly unsheathed her sabre,

“Did you hear that?” She questioned, glancing around.

“Hear what?” Gene looked up for a moment before returning his gaze to his pad.

“We’re not alone…” She whispered, clutching onto her sabre as she did a slow turn and studying her dim surroundings. Something dark moved in the corner of her eye and she turned on her heel, still not seeing anything.

“Whoever you are, this isn’t funny…” Ruby growled.

There was a pause before a figure came flying at her from behind. She caught it with the corner of her eye and spun around, blocking the hit of a sword with her own. Gene turned his head at the scraping sound of metal hitting metal, not expecting to see who stood there.

“Of course, I should have known the Baron was behind this.” Ruby frowned, staring directly at Rypan, who had attacked her, “What, you sardines not okay with the massive castle you have already?” She pushed her blade forward slightly.

Rypan bared his teeth in a growl and quickly moved his sword back before swinging.

The pirate blocked it, getting pushed back slightly from the force,

“Gene! A hurry up over there!” She shouted, ducking as the knight attempted to slice at her once more.

“Give me a moment!” The teen called out.

She just rolled her eyes, continuing to fight,

“What’d you do to everyone?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything.” He seemed threatened just by the thought.

“Oh yeah? Then who?” She huffed, unbelievingly. Rypan went for another attack but she swiftly stepped to the side and watched him tumble onto the ground. He rolled over and went to get up but he was met with a sabre to his throat, “You had better tell us what’s going on.” She warned.

He snarled,

“You know all too well what’s going on. You’re helping it.”

“‘It’? Listen here squid-face, we have no idea what you’re talking about.”

A small silence endured as Rypan carefully inspected her face. He didn’t trust her one bit, but she was acting exactly like the dumb teenager normally would. Besides, she was acting far too dumb to actually know what it was. So he eventually spoke up,

“A creature of black magic. It took everyone away…”

“And why not you?”

“Well I… I hid.” Rypan slightly lowered his head in shame before remembering who he was talking to. He quickly shook his head, “It’s still around here somewhere. Let me go, I don’t want to be taken too.”

“You’re pretty cowardly for a knight, aren’t you?” She just stared at him, watching as his face morphed into one of fear. “What are you…” Her voice trailed off as she looked over her shoulder, staring directly at the creature. She froze in her spot involuntarily and the creature reached out, picking her up by her throat.

Her sabre clattered into the ground and Rypan quickly got to his feet. In a split second, he made the decision to grab Gene as he was running by. He carefully held the teen under his arm, making sure he wouldn’t fall.

“Hey! What are you doing?” The scientist almost shouted with frustration. He was so close to completing his scan.

“Well I’m not going to be able to save my master if it takes all of you as well.” He said.

Just before the knight turned the corner, Gene watched as Ruby was dropped lifelessly to the ground in horror. He couldn’t believe what just happened. This creature had just managed to take one of his friends while he was too distracted.

Rypan turned a few corners, running down hallways before slowing down to catch his breath,

“Are your friends here?”

“Yes, in the courtyard. Now can you put me down?” Gene said, still slightly shaken.

The knight looked around, rerouting his path in his head before speaking up again,

“No. You’re too slow. And weak.”

Gene pouted slightly but didn’t say anything. He knew it was true and his life was on the line, too risky to complain about it and be left behind when the creature caught up with them.

Rypan began to walk forward once more, which led Gene to wonder how he knew where he was going or why he was even here inside the castle in the first place,

“How do you know the layout of this castle?” Gene questioned, unable to keep his thoughts to himself.

He didn’t look down at the teen, thinking about it for a moment.

“… I used to stay here with my master.” He said, carefully musing over what words he would use, “We had to… Do a lot of work around the castle.”

“Steal?” Gene raised an eyebrow.

“Call it what you must.” He said, unwavering.

“I fail to understand why you work for him.” The scientist said.

Rypan growled slightly,

“And I don’t get why you have to work with those other irritating children to annoy my lord. Now, how about you be quiet?”

Gene didn’t say anything else. This man could easily drop him and leave, and that was the last thing he wanted. He watched as they approached a door and Rypan opened it, walking out onto the brick wall that surrounded the castle. They both didn’t say anything about it, but they felt much more relaxed outside, as if they had left a trapping atmosphere from inside the castle. Not like it was much better outside, but it was an improvement.

Rypan plopped the tiny man down and looked down at the bright green Chameleon parked in the middle of the courtyard,

“You just don’t seem to care about putting yourself in danger, do you?” He sighed, walking forward.

“Given that we had no idea of the situation and the fact that our chances of success are abnormally high, I doubt that-”

“That you’ll ever lose?” Rypan froze, turning his head to the side slightly, “You cannot be that stupid. Just because you rarely lose doesn’t mean that it’ll never happen.”

“I-” Gene didn’t get another word in before the knight had a sword up to his throat, moving him up against the wall so he was stuck in one place. His eyes widened as the blade inched away from his neck.

“What if I decided to just end your life right here?” Rypan almost whispered, up close to the teen. His eyes narrowed, “You see, there’s always that possibility. You think everything’s going just  _ fine _ , but then it all changes on you.  _ Never _ assume that it’ll all end well, because when that doesn’t happen, you’ll feel horrible.”

The scientist stared back at the other’s blank eyes in slight fear. Rypan’s cold glare didn’t shift, it was as if he had lost focus and was peering into his soul with those mismatched gray eyes of his… With a weapon still at his neck. He was honestly terrified of the brute, or at least what he could easily do to him if he got irritated.

Gene took a deep breath and cleared his throat,

“I- Uh, o-okay?” He said, trying to get Rypan’s attention again.

The knight blinked a little, pupils softening, and focused back on Gene. He swiftly moved back and slid his large sword back into its sheath and turned on his heel,

“We’ve lost enough time, we should hurry if we want to have any chance in saving my master.” There was a slight pause, “Perhaps the others too.”

The teen exhaled, gently rubbing his neck. He hadn’t been harmed but it still wasn’t the best feeling in the world. He didn’t fully understand why Rypan did what he did, or why exactly he had gotten so into the topic of defeat, but he just took it as it was, grateful that the man was a man of honour - even if it wasn’t as much as the King’s knights - and had let him be. Even if it was for his own need.

He followed behind Rypan in silence since he had no other option and the fact that he was his only form of protection at the moment.

The knight quietly lifted a hand up to his left eye, his armoured fingers gently brushing the large scar across his eye.

_ "Just think about it Rypan, after this I'm going to be the richest man in all of Kingsland!" The Baron grinned, watching as his right hand man hauled out large chests filled with gold from the castle's treasury, all held in his arms. _

_ A warm smile sat on Rypan's face, _

_ "Very exciting, my lord." _

_ "Halt! Thieves! Get them!" The screeches echoed in Rypan's mind. Blue and gold knights dashed out from everywhere, all holding out swords. They froze in their tracks. Everything went in slow motion as the Baron reached out to grab his sword, but one knight lept out. Rypan dropped all the chests and dove in front of the Baron. _

_ All he could hear were screams. He wasn't sure if they were the knight's or his own, but he knew his eye hurt. _

Rypan lowered his hand. He'd given up so much already, he wasn't about to let some shadow keep his master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh~ is this some backstory I can sense? :)


	7. Chapter 7

Ruby groggily lifted her head up, despite how exhausted she felt. She saw Baba Cara standing on the other side of the room with her back to the pirate, focusing on something in her hands. Only then did she note that she was tied down amongst what seemed like hundreds of knights, sitting on the wooden ground of the witch’s tree stump home.

They were all tied up in small groups, all looking about as lifeless as she felt. She could see the King and the Baron tied up together near Baba Cara, drooping over tiredly. No one made any movement aside from the rise and fall of their chests and the occasional lifting up their heads slightly because they were slumping too far forward. She had to admit, even the Dark Knights seemed dull despite the fact that they already had a dark attire.

Her eyelids drooped and she desperately wanted to do nothing, but she forced herself to speak up,

“Baba Cara…” She was surprised at how tired her voice sounded.

The witch turned around, a small bit of surprise visible on her face that was quickly replaced with a smirk,

“My, my, it seems the young pirate is awake.” She carefully thought for a moment, “It seems my spell seems to affect you differently compared to the knights.”

“What are you doing…?” Ruby growled to the best of her ability. Her eyes trailed down to what Baba Cara was holding. A large jar of a white glowing substance.

“Quite simple,” The woman said, eager to show just what she was planning, “I realised that the only way I’ll become stronger and be able to rule the world is to take in a lot of energy. Of course, even trying that with the fairies would be dumb and pointless, the pirates are a whole other ‘idiotic’ topic, and the futuristic people would be too difficult to get to, so…” Her voice trailed off as she let Ruby figure the rest out.

“You… Stole everyone’s energy…?!” She realised that’s what Baba Cara was probably holding in the jar. The white glowing energy of all the inhabitants of Kingsland… That’s why they were all lifeless and the colours were desaturated.

“I thought you worked together with the Baron…?”

“Once I’m the ruler of the world, I won’t need that fool.” She spared a glance at said man, almost sneering, “I’ll be so powerful, I’ll be able to do whatever I want!” She laughed, “Just two more and I’ll have all I need…”

“And who would that be…?”

“The prince and the Baron’s oaf.” Baba Cara said, looking back down at Ruby, “I’m not sure why the knight even brought you.”

Ruby was about to ask what she meant by that when she felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked over to the side as the shadow creature appeared in a purple portal, the same colour as the mark Gene had found on the floor. Her eyes widened slightly, only just registering what had happened in the first few moments that she had the energy and life taken out of her. This creature had stolen it and taken her back to Baba Cara while she was drowsy in the beginning.

“And what are you doing here?” The witch frowned, staring at it.

It began to droop, bending forward as if it was tired.

“I don’t care if you’re tired, you have  _ two _ more!”

It didn’t move away from its spot, glancing over at the King.

Baba Cara just sighed, knowing that the sudden closeness towards the royal meant that it was slowly regaining feelings and memories,

“Oh, the spell’s wearing off… I see.” She was about to recite the spell again, but she paused at the look Ruby was giving the shadow creature. She was confused. Well, she deserved to have a bit of fun, didn’t she?

Instead of saying the spell again, she forced the creature down onto all fours, grinning. Ruby watched on, not knowing if she should be angry or not before she saw the shadows begin to seep off of the creature. It screeched in pain, trying to resist it to no avail, until it revealed the knight underneath. Sir Gareth.

Her eyes widened, watching as a black liquid seeped out of the knight’s mouth and he coughed and sputtered in pain. She had seen this sort of thing before with that small elf Baba Cara cursed. Black magic, Twinkle had explained, it made anyone affected by it sick, almost as if they were poisoned. But why had she chosen Gareth out of all people?

“L-Let him go you scurvy sea urchin!” She didn’t like Gareth, but no one deserved to suffer like this, especially if they weren’t evil or meant well in the end.

Baba Cara chuckled,

“Why should I? This is his fault…”

* * *

_ “Deliver this to the fairies, Sir Gareth. The Royal messenger is sick, you should travel all the way to the fairies instead, Sir Gareth.” Gareth grumbled under his breath, carefully holding onto the scroll. _

_ “I am a  _ _ knight _ _ , not a messenger.” He huffed, carefully marching through the forest of the enchanted island, “Besides, fairies are pests. They’re an absolute nuisance.” He failed to understand why the King had sent him when he was definitely much more skilled in his swordsmanship. Why not send someone who was faster? Or at least, less valuable towards the King’s protection? _

_ He brought himself out of his thoughts as he noticed the whispering forest had gotten a lot denser and the sun seemed to be blocked by the canopy above him, leaving the forest dark and cooler. He could’ve sworn that he was on the path just a moment ago, where had he wandered off to? See, if this were Kingsland instead of the dumb Enchanted Island we would’ve been right on track. _

_ Gareth glanced around, looking for any sign that showed how to leave this part of the forest. That’s when he spotted something that looked somewhat like a house. Or at least one of their weird fairy houses, he thought. It looked like a tree stump, or a dead one at that. Maybe that would lead him back on path, it was a sign of life, was it not? _

_ He began walking towards it, not really realising what the drooping plants and dead grass meant. He just wanted to get out of the Enchanted Island as quickly as possible and back to the castle. He smiled softly, thinking about returning back to Archibald the next day after his long trip and holding the man in his arms, just smiling at his adorable face. Archibald was the only one back there who wasn’t a complete imbecile and that he tolerated. Maybe that’s because of how sweet he was, or how nicely the man treated him. _

_ The knight was about to walk past when he saw a purple glow from inside that made him halt. He didn’t want to intrude on the mosquito, but at the same time he wondered if this could be important. What if this magic was going to be used to take over them? _

_ He eventually snuck up to a window, his distrust for the fairies controlling his actions, and peered in. It didn’t take long for a scowl to appear on his face when he realised that this was Baba Cara’s house and that the witch inside had just cast a spell on a troll. Shadows wrapped around the angry troll as it tried to reach out for her, but didn’t make it in time. When the shadows had fully absorbed it, she just laughed, _

_ “Now, go and attack the fairies!” _

_ There was a pause as the troll just tilted its head. _

_ “I said, go and attack those stupid winged creatures!” She shouted, pointing to the door. _

_ The troll proceeded to hit itself in its face with its club, knocking it out. It fell backwards and landed on the floor with a thud, both Baba Cara and Gareth flinching, before the witch groaned. _

_ “Idiotic creatures… What else am I supposed to use?” She began to look around as she thought, which made Gareth try to duck but he tripped over the throned bushes that were grabbing at his ankles. He got the wind knocked out of him as he hit the ground and desperately tried to scramble out of the area before it was too late. _

_ “You!” She screeched. Too late. “Were you spying on me?! I’ll get you for that…” She growled, about to hit the knight with one of the worst curses she could think of, but stopped. And then she grinned. _

_ “Not too dumb, yet just dumb enough… Perfect.” _

_ “Hey!” He spoke, both his pride hurt and irritated, “I insist you take that back!” _

_ She then cast her spell on him, laughing as he tried to fight it. The last thing that left his mouth were screams before he went silent. _

_ “Get up.” She ordered, and the knight did just that. This would be perfect… She could take the knights first and then take over the Enchanted Island. The fairies wouldn’t be able to stop her with all of this power. She let out a laugh, _

_ “Go. Make a portal, absorb all of the knight’s energy and bring me it and their bodies back. I could use them…” _

_ The knight did just that, knowing that the closest castle was the Baron’s. _

* * *

Gareth heaved, letting out dry coughs in between. The black gooey substance felt like it was filling his lungs and making it hard to breath. It stung and he wanted it all to stop. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes as he weakly grovelled at Baba Cara’s feet, hating the sensation. He felt weak. Inferior. Pathetic…

“P-Please…” His voice rasped out, mouth bitter.

Ruby almost didn’t want to look. Normally, she wouldn’t have minded teaching this guy a lesson. He could be so annoying sometimes, always thinking his way was the best way and his opinions were correct. But now…

“You had better let him go - let  _ all _ of us go if you don’t want to regret it!” She shouted as loudly as she could. The sound brought a few knights out of the hazed state they were in as they looked up at her.

“What, you’ll escape in the state you’re in and beat me?” She smirked, “Two more and I’ve won.” She pointed her staff at Gareth, the shadows tightening around the knight again. Everyone returned to their dull and empty positions at Gareth’s yelling.

“Just two more…”


	8. Chapter 8

“You’re okay now, right?” Alex gently rubbed Twinkle’s back supportively. He hoped that he had somehow managed to calm the poor fairy down, knowing that this was only painful for her. Goodness knows what sort of black magic was going on inside the castle. Of course, he felt pretty sure he knew who it was.

The fairy gave a small nod, sniffing. She used the handkerchief she had gotten from the prince to blow her nose and carefully folded it, placing it down on the table,

“Thanks Alex…”

Alex nodded with a small smile,

“We should probably get going if we want to help the others.” He said.

Agreeing in silence, the two were about to get up when the door opened.

“Oh, you’re back early. Did something happ-” Alex stopped mid sentence and swiftly pulled out his sword, pointing it directly at Rypan, who stood at the door. The knight’s eyes widened slightly, not entirely ready to be greeted by a blade to his throat, but they quickly returned to their normal near-squint look as he stared at him.

“I knew this was the Baron’s fault!” The prince’s brows furrowed, “He’s always going after my father. What did you do to them?!” He yelled at the man.

“Calm down Alex.” Gene spoke up, stepping out from behind Rypan, “For once, this isn’t the Baron’s fault.”

“Then who’s?” Alex didn’t lower his sword, despite what Gene was telling him. He just didn’t trust this man, he was the Baron’s right hand man and completely followed the man’s bidding. He could’ve manipulated Gene, tricking him into believing it wasn’t the Baron’s fault when it truly was.

“I’m not sure…” The scientist entered the Chameleon, walking over to the table in the middle. He tapped a few things on the touchscreen below and light blue screens appeared midair. Rypan’s eyes widened at the wizardry in awe, watching as the scientist acted as if this was totally normal.

“So where’s Ruby?” Alex frowned, “And where is everyone? You’re confusing me Gene.”

Twinkle nodded in agreement, standing around the table Gene was at and watching as pictures came up. Purple marks and some sort of shadow thing,

“Lower your sword Alex.” Gene simply said, “For the time being, he’s an ally. A temporary ally.”

“But he could-”

“The enemies of my enemies are my friends.” He quoted with slight force and irritation in his voice, “When I said that last time, I mean no different this time. Now, we’re losing valuable time. Come here and I’ll explain everything I know as quickly as possible, unless you want everything to remain this way forever?”

Alex paused, staring at him before he shifted his gaze to Twinkle. She had this look in her eyes that begged him to listen. And he knew Gene was right. He was being ridiculous. It was just all that pent up anger towards the Baron that made him unable to think straight…

“Make one wrong move and we’ll drop you wherever we are, understood?” He lowered his sword and sheathed it once more, then moved up to the table.

Rypan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Alex. It wasn’t like he enjoyed this either. He just wanted his master back and he knew he couldn’t do it by himself. Moving up to the table, he chose the side opposite to the others. Alex was annoying, the fairy was irritating - and slightly frightened him, despite what he wanted to admit - and the wizard thought he knew better than everyone else. He hated them all, but he had no choice.

So Gene began going over all the facts. There was a creature about, absorbing the energy of all the inhabitants which is what happened to the others. Since there are no bodies around, that means the creature takes them somewhere, the question was where? He laid down other facts and they drew to the same conclusion; they needed to get this creature out, but how?

Everyone turned to look at Rypan, who frowned, knowing what they were thinking.

“No. I’m far too valuable to lose.”

“You haven’t done anything at all. Only run away.” Alex frowned.

“I’ll have you know that if it weren’t for me, your precious wizard would be gone now too.”

“Only for your own greedy need!” Alex shot back.

“Does that change the fact?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, yes it does very much!”

“That is enough!” Twinkle shouted, a hush falling over the group, “No more arguing! We’re supposed to be saving everyone, not blaming each other! This isn’t helping anyone.” She lowered her voice a little.

There was a small silence in the group, everyone looking down.

“Now shake hands and for the time being, stop yelling at each other, okay?” The fairy looked at Alex and Rypan with a glare.

The prince sighed, extending his hand towards Rypan, who paused before shaking his hand. They both hated it very much, the stare they gave each other was almost toxic. 

“Good. Now, what if I used magic as a diversion instead?” She raised her wand, knowing there were plenty of spells that could be used as a distraction.

“And if it doesn’t believe that?” Rypan gave her a spiteful glance. He honestly didn’t believe that the fairy could cast any good spells, only ones that hurt him. Every single time they met, she ended up harming him and putting him in excruciating pain, of course he didn’t like her.

“Yes, using technology instead would be far more effective.” Gene spoke, pressing a few buttons at the table to make a light blue hologram of a knight replace the pictures that were there before.

“But Gene, the creature is magical. Magic would definitely be the best choice.” She was about to wave her wand around when Rypan grabbed onto her wrist.

“No magic.” The knight said with a scowl.

Twinkle pulled her arm away,

“Alright, alright, we can use Gene’s magical picture instead.”

“Hologram.” Gene corrected.

* * *

“We’ll leave this here and wait for it to turn up.” Gene whispered, placing a small device onto the ground in the middle of the throne room. He took a step back and the knight popped up once more, this time in full colour since they needed it to look as realistic as possible.

Rypan reached out, his hand phasing through the knight without it reacting - obviously, since it wasn’t sentient,

“This isn’t going to work.” He said flatly, “It’ll try to take it and it’ll realise it’s fake.”

“That’s alright, I can use my magic to stop it before it can leave.” Twinkle smiled a little, trying not to think about the horrid feelings that were sneaking up on her because of the dark magic.

“Alright, we need to hide now. Be prepared to defend yourself, just in case.” Alex said, pulling out his sword. They all hid behind the stone pillars and awaited the arrival of the shadow creature in silence.

Rypan ran his finger along the edge of his blade while he leaned back against his pillar, listening for movement. He wondered what his lord would think about him teaming up with the children. A few scenarios popped up in his head of the Baron getting extremely mad that he didn’t do it himself or dispose of the Super 4 in the meantime.

He glanced over at the pillar beside him where the fairy fluttered soundlessly. His lips slowly thinned into a smirk as an idea came to him. If he could dispose of the teenagers now, perhaps the Baron would then be able to become the king when he saved him later, then he would definitely be praised.

The same chilling feeling filled them all and Rypan knew it was here. The others exchanged glances as the shadow creature dashed over to the hologram in a rush as if it was trying to hurry for some reason. It looked slightly different, darker and stronger, but no one paid it any mind as Twinkle raised her wand up high, ready to cast a spell.

She wasn’t prepared for the sudden push behind her, which launched her forward, out into the open with a squeal. The creature’s hand had just passed through the knight as it realised what was going on. It hissed and went to grab Twinkle’s neck, the fairy not doing anything to stop it. She was frozen by fear and the effect the evil creature had on her.

“Twinkle!” Alex suddenly dove into the creature, tackling it down onto the ground. Twinkle was knocked out of its grip and she stumbled backwards onto the floor with a gasp, shuffling away. The two rolled around, the creature trying to grab onto Alex’s neck while said prince was avoiding that with all his might, attempting to pin the creature down so it couldn’t attack anymore.

Gene quickly rushed over to Twinkle, trying to help her up. Rypan’s eyes narrowed from his spot behind the pillar as he wondered what his next step would be now. The scientist carefully held the weak girl, her arm around his shoulder, and they slowly moved away from the creature.

“Alex!” Her eyes widened as the shadow creature held Alex down by his neck and a white glowing orb was pulled out from his mouth despite his screams.

Gene knew he had to leave now, there was no chance he could help him now no matter how much he wished there was. He had to hold Twinkle back as she tried to reach out to him and leave the room, heading towards the Chameleon again.

Rypan remained, watching as the creature stood up, slightly tattered from the fight. It had cuts on its pale face underneath but they were quickly covered up by the shadows. His eyes widened as a purple glowing portal opened beside it and he could see everything inside it. His master, tied up and lifeless. He knew where he was.

Alex was tossed inside and Rypan’s hand clenched around his sword as a grin spread across his face. Perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

Twinkle buried her face in her hands, sobbing while Gene awkwardly sat beside her, trying to comfort her. Well, to the best of his abilities.

“Now Alex is gone! We’re never going to save them!” She cried, “They’re all going to die and we can’t do a thing about it!”

“While it does seem very likely that the outcome of this situation won’t be exactly pleasant, that’s probably not the case.” All the statistics were telling him the chances of success were low, but the last thing he needed right now was Twinkle becoming too sad to do anything. He also knew being this sad wasn’t at all good for her and she would be devastated if it caused her to lose her wings and become a regular human.

“What are we supposed to do without Ruby and Alex? We don’t even know where they are!”

Gene was about to agree when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Rypan was running out of the castle, past the drawbridge. He squinted suspiciously before he stood up,

“No, but I think we’re about to find out.” He walked over to the controls at the front and sat down at the driver’s seat, Twinkle following him.

“What do you mean?” She sniffed, tilting her head slightly.

“Rypan, he’s running somewhere.” He carefully drove forward, making sure to be quiet and slow.

“But why? You think he knows where they are?”

Gene nodded,

“He stayed around the castle, following the shadow creature at a distance. I think he was waiting for some sort of clue, and I believe he’s gotten it.”

“You mean, we might be able to save everyone?” Her face brightened.

“It is a possibility.” Gene nodded once more, being careful to follow the knight without him noticing. They knew they had to follow since this man would most likely only save his master and keep everyone else as prisoners and servants. He had just given away Alex despite their temporary truce, it was fairly obvious he would do anything for the Baron.

Rypan had to stop several times to catch a break. It didn’t last very long though, he continued to run as soon as he could. There was a long distance to cover and he needed to get there quickly. The face of his lord flashed in his mind and forced him to run faster, his lungs burning, until he saw something up ahead. A brown horse, peacefully grazing on the bright green grass that wasn’t affected by the dark magic. A smile spread across his face, happy that he hadn’t lost his horse after all.

When the creature had started affecting the King’s castle, all the animals had left, running away from the affected area. It pained him and he felt so upset to see his beautiful stallion run off, but now it was back, looking as content as ever.

It nervously glanced up at the sound of someone approaching before realising it was Rypan. It walked towards him as the man beckoned it closer, and Rypan gently ran his hand along its neck again, patting it slightly,

“I’m glad you’re back.” He gave a soft smile.

Gene and Twinkle watched, astonished by the look on his face. It was warm and oddly friendly, something they both never saw. Of course, most people expressed feelings but they had rarely seen anything other than devious and blank looks from him. Maybe it was bad to just assume that he acted the same way all of the time, but it was hard to see such an intimidating man as caring.

Rypan carefully mounted his stead and continued thundering down the path. This would definitely cut the travel time down.

The Chameleon followed secretly behind, increasing its speed. By the looks of it, he was heading towards the Enchanted Island and Twinkle decided to speak up,

“The Enchanted Island… Black magic… You don’t think Baba Cara has them?”

Gene gave a small nod,

“It’s very possible…”

“We should go check it out ahead of him.” The fairy said, “That way we can save everyone before he has time to free the Baron.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but what Twinkle had just said was actually logical. He gave a small nod and turned onto the path, trying to overtake Rypan now that they had no reason to hide anymore.

The knight turned his head at the movement in the corner of his eye and the sound of the path crunching, something approaching quickly. His eyes narrowed. It was those pesky teenagers, they were following him in that big, green machine of theirs. He swiftly pulled his sword out of its sheath and growled, watching as they attempted to overtake him.

No one would be insane enough to jump in front of a speeding wagon such as theirs without a death wish so Rypan let it pass… Before nearing the side and using his large blade to try to jam the wheel. Probably the riskiest move me could make, he knew, but he had no choice but to take it, for his master. A few sparks flew, a couple singeing his face whilst the rest of himself was protected by his armour, and the Chameleon’s breaks were suddenly slammed. It skidded to the side in an attempt to stop without crashing and Rypan pulled his sword back, which now had a few more new scratches on it, and rode around the vehicle.

Rypan glanced over his shoulder with a grin before sheathing his sword once more and forcing his horse to gallop faster. He disappeared over the distance before the others had time to exit their ride.

“My baby!” Gene rushed out of the Chameleon, with Twinkle following behind, and sped over to the back wheel which was now steaming, a thick layer of smoke rising out of it, “That… That brute!” He shouted in anger, looking over it carefully, “He- He just- You can’t just do that! He just destroyed a brilliant piece of technology like an absurd caveman!”

“It’s okay, just a little magic and-”

“No! No more ravaging my Chameleon!” He cut her off, “Ugh, this will take hours to repair…” He carefully peered inside to see several wires cut, a metal plate brutally slashed open and scratches over the surfaces that knocked several bolts off leaving it unstable. If they tried to drive any further, it would be a safety hazard. Then again, staying and doing nothing was also a risk, since if the Baron took over, he probably would make their lives a nightmare.

He didn’t want to say it. The words couldn’t seem to leave his mouth, but as he was kneeling down, staring at his poor damaged vehicle, he realised there was no choice.

“Twinkle… You’re going to have to go save everyone by yourself.” He spoke quietly.

“W-What? Me?”

He gave a small nod,

“I have to stay and repair the Chameleon… But you… You need to go save everyone.”

Save everyone? On her own? Twinkle’s face dropped.

If she didn't do this and Baba Cara won, she would take over the whole world. If Rypan succeeded, the Baron would rule over Kingsland making everyone suffer. Twinkle had no choice but to save everyone, or the effects it would have would be horrible.


End file.
